M1 Abrams Main Battle Tank Series(Tarakian Variants)
History For many years the Tarakian Military relied on post World War 2 Era Tanks, the most prolific tank in service with the Tarakian Army and Marine Corps was the M48A3 Patton MBT, it was armed with the potent M48 90mm High Velocity Maingun and could achieve a kill in just as 1 or 2 rounds due to the advancement in Tank Shell technology, in 1954 the Tarakian Army began a trial to find a replacement for the M48A5 by this time the Tarakian Army had adopted the M68 105mm Rifled Maingun for the Patton but it proved uncapable for Tarakian duties, the resulting Tank that came out of the program was the U.S. M103(Tank, Full Tracked, 120mm, M103) Heavy Tank, the M103 seemed pleasing with its T34E1 Rifled 120mm Maingun, however it had two drawbacks, it's weight and it's Engine could only go for 80 Miles before needing to be refueled, the Tarakian Army again put the M48A5 back into service and put the M103 Heavy Tank in Storage, it wasn't until the late 50's when the Tarakian Army began to look into a newer tank, rumors had been arousing of a new Soviet tank able to counter Western Armor, Tarakia had requested a single prototype XM60 from General Dynamics Land Systems, it proved well and went into production for the Tarakian Army, carrying the designation M60T(Tropicalized) and designed to operate in the Tarakian Deserts with Ease, it was soon realized that the M60 would need an upgrade to continue it's service, over 70 M60T's were retrofitted to M60A1 Standard, the retrofit introduced a new Turret design, improved suspension and Armor protection giving the M60T's a nice advantage on the Field, in the mid 60's the Tarakian Army retrofitted it's fleet of M60A1's to the M60A1 RISE Passive Standard. The final M60 to enter service with the Tarakian Army was in 1972, the M60A3, the M60A3 was a completely new tank, although it still looked like it's counterparts it had been fitted with a Stabilized Maingun; Thermal Sleeve Introduced alongside the barrel; ballistics computer; air filtration system; improved searchlight; improved engine; improved laser rangefinder; and External grenade smoke dischargers, as part of a upgrade to extend the life of the M60A3 by just a few years, select units were fitted with the TTS(Tank Thermal Sight) AN/VSG-2 Thermal Sight giving certain units the designation M60A3TTS. As the M60A3 served up into the late 70's increasing reports of Soviet Tanks being developed had sparked the thought "Is the M60A3 a match for these increasing Soviet Developments?" Sure the M60A3 had knocked out the older T54/55 and T62 Series Tanks, but could it knock out these increasing soviet developments? The Tarakian Army had received a captured T-72U and began to study the tank down to it's bolts, it was a modern design mounting a 125mm Smoothbore Maingun with a autoloader, the ammunition was a two piece design, and the autoloader had one drawback, it had to relay the maingun just so the two piece SABOT or HEAT round could be shoved into the breach, Test shots were taking at some decommissioned M60A3 Patton Main Battle Tanks, the result was the catastrophic the 125mm round managed to penetrate the armor package of the M60A3, it shocked many in the Tarakian Military, including the Brass and the CEO's of the Defense Contractors. The Tarakian Army also received a captured Soviet T-80, one that had not been exported' it was studied and determined to be more advanced than the previous T series tanks. Early Development In early 1978 the Tarakian Army issued a request for a Modern Main Battle Tank to combat the increasing threat of Soviet Armor Advancement, in 1979 General Dynamics Tarakia, had developed a prototype tank based on the requirements made by the Tarakian Army, and given the designation XM1-90, the XM1 Mounted the M3 90mm High Velocity Main gun developed by General Dynamics Armament Systems, The 90mm had proved effective before but it was far ahead it's retirement date, the 90mm was dropped from the Prototype and replaced by a General Dynamics Armament Systems M68A1 105mm L44 Rifled Main gun, the same as used on the M60A3 Patton, with a fewer minor tweaks and improvements, the XM1-105 was approved for production by the Tarakian Army and was giving the Designation M1 Abrams, Named after the U.S. Army General Creighton Abrams, the M1 Abrams was officially adopted in 1981 and was armed with the Rheinmetall built M68A2 105mm L52 Smoothbore Main Gun, in early 1983 the Tarakian Army issued a request for improved storage capabilities of the M1 and various upgrades to the system, the resulting Upgrade introduced the M1-IP(Improved Production) Model, the Improved Production model added rear storage, Reinforced Suspension, New Armor Package and deleted the Sprocket Retainer Ring. It wasn't until the late 80's early 90's when the M1A1 Abrams was introduced. Mid Development the M1A1 was a Major upgrade to the previous Abrams Tanks, the M1A1 introduced the Rheinmetall M256 120mm L44 Smoothbore Main gun, Depleted Uranium Armor Mesh, Pressurized NBC System and Improved Storage, the M1A1 was deployed in Operation Desert Endeavor in 1990, an Operation to Deter Sal-Kari Forces away from the Tarakian Border, during the ensuing Tank Battles, the M1A1 proved far superior to Sal-Kari Armor, with only 3 Abrams Tanks lost during the Operation, two of them were lost to enemy fire while the third Abrams was lost to Friendly Fire, after the Operation the Abrams returned to the drawing board for another major upgrade, but before this upgrade was applied or even drafted, Every M1A1 Abrams in the Tarakian Army were brought up to Digital Standard, giving the M1A1 Abrams the Designation M1A1-D(Digital), this was the basis for the next model in the Abrams line, the M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank was introduced in 2001 and was a vast improvement, the M1A2 Abrams introduced the Commanders Independent Thermal Viewer, Land Navigation System and a New Armor Package, the M1A2 also mounted the newer M256A1 120mm L55 Smoothbore Main Gun giving the A2 a considerable advantage on the field of the Battle. The M1A2 became the mainstay of the Tarakian Army for 9 Years before it's next upgrade, refurbished M1A1 Abrams were sent to the Marine Corps to replace their Existing inventory of M60 Patton tanks, the Resulting upgrade for the Marine Corps Abrams resulted in the M1A1-AIM(Abrams Integrated Management), the AIM Package brought Marine Corps M1A1 Abrams up to Army M1A2 Standard. In 2010 the M1A3 Abrams was introduced in the Tarakian Army. Late Development the M1A3 was armed with the Rheinmetall M256A2 120mm L66 Smoothbore Main gun and the Honeywell ATG-1700C Multifuel Turbine Engine and also a new Armor Package was applied, the 1700C offered considerable more Horsepower and operational range, the M1A3 had one problem the L66 120mm Smoothbore proved to be too long and therefore only 50 M1A3's were produced with the L66 Main gun, In mid 2010 the M1A3 was rearmed with the Rheinmetall M256A2 120mm L55 Smoothbore Main gun, The M1A3 was also 80% more combat effective due to it's upgrades. The M1A3 served for 21 Years and received upgrades to extend it's life, In 2030 the M1A4 Abrams prototype was introduced and had technology not seen on previous Abrams Tanks, the M1A4 featured the SPECTRE System, A full Digital Upgrade to the System' the SPECTRE system included Enhanced Digital Gun Sights, Enhanced FLIR(Forward Looking Infrared), Brigade Combat Network System, Digital Gunner Station. The Digital Gunner Station was revolutionary, because it added the Fire Solution Computer' the FSC introduced the Abrams Advanced Fire Control Suite, the AFCS is able to feed the gunner 1,000 Solutions every few seconds for the Selected Munition, the Data is also in real time and therefore the Advanced Fire Control Suite must continue to feed Data to the gunner' the Advanced Fire Control Suite can also be operated in Passive mode where Data is manually selected for the munition and then passed onto the Commander for Approval. the SPECTRE System improved the Commanders Master "Blaster" Arm to override gunner control of the Main gun if hesitant to fire, This also allows the Commander to fully Traverse the Turret and Lay the Main gun, operating as a Secondary Gunner if the Tank Gunner isn't Present, however he can only operate the Main Gun and Heavy Coaxial Machine Gun. In the Drivers Station, the Driver has two screens, one for Information and the other a Map Screen' the M1A4 no longer has the "T" Bar Steering but has two Joysticks Controls(one on his Right, other on the Left) the right joystick is for Acceleration/Deceleration and the left joystick is for Turning/Steering, Both Computers Display data on the Hydrogen Hybrid Engine, if the Hydrogen Fuel Cells are nearing Empty or the Engine Compartment is in danger of significantly overheating, the Driver can flip a switch to cool down the engine compartment and also open the reserve Hydrogen Fuel Cells, the screens also display Electrical Power and output, The Driver can also send target data to his crew members in the fighting compartment if needed, on Select vehicles the 20mm REDBACK Point Defense Weapon is installed for Military operations in Urban Terrain. The SPECTRA Fragmentation Protection is part of the Abrams Modular Armor Package, it is a Ballistic and Fragmentation protection requirement set by MIL-51-4 and consist of 10 Layers, starting with Kevlar/Spectra, Carbon Fibre and Polymer, it is repeated every few inches, The Crew Compartment is Kevlar Lined and also has a Boron Carbide Liner to prevent fatal radiation from entering the Vehicle. Operational History Since the Abrams was introduced it has seen action in every major conflict to date, and has seen success during every conflict, effectively engaging enemy threats before they could respond, while some Abrams have been lost in combat mainly due to Hostile threats, while a few have been lost during friendly fire incidents and some to accidents. Future The future of the Abrams is quite certain, The Abrams in Tarakian Service is nearing in it's final generation and most likely it will be retired after final production of the M1A4 Ceases and replaced by a new tank, same goes with the Leopard 2 Series, it is also in it's final generation, It is also possible that in the near future that the Experimental M1A4-140 will take over the primary battle tank replacing the 120mm variants in service. Design XM1 Abrams The XM1 Abrams is where it all started, it was Vastly different from it's production version, the XM1 Abrams used the Continental AVDS-1790-2C 12-Cylinder Air-Cooled Diesel Engine generating 750 Horsepower at 2,400rpm, the AVDS was borrowed over from the M60A3 Patton Tanks, and showed great performance but was prone to failure, and was limited to one type of fuel Diesel, General Dynamics began looking into a Multifuel Engine and came across the idea of using a Jet Turbine to power the Main Battle Tank, the result was the Honeywell/Lycoming ATG-1200B Multifuel Turbine Engine, being able to run fuels from Standard Unleaded Kerosene up to thick Bunker fuels, however the bunker Fuels required the entire engine to be refurbished due to it's thick and sticky nature, the Primary fuel selected for the Engine is JP-8(Jet Propellant-8) JP-8 is less flammable and burns great and provides hours of operation before needing to be refueled, General Dynamics produced 6 XM1 Prototypes, 3 of them armed with the 90mm HVC and the last 3 Armed with the 105mm Rifled Main gun, after trials the M68 105mm rifled main gun, it was deemed to be the perfect fit the XM1 Abrams and was soon being tested for effectiveness against Soviet Armor, the M68 fired the M883 Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot and was effective against Earlier Soviet Armor, but was proving to be ineffective against later Soviet Tanks. But still remained in Service on the XM1, the Armor on the XM1 was also ineffective against the increasing Soviet Threats. M1 Abrams The First Production model of the Abrams, the M1 was introduced in 80's, the main difference between the XM1 and the M1 was the Turret, the Turret went through a radical redesign and featured sloped Glacial Plates with the Main gun cradle offset just a little bit, this set up offered the M1 Excellent protection against Anti-Armor Weapons and somewhat against SABOT weapons, the M1 Abrams also mounted a improved version of the M68, the M68A1 had a increased barrel life and was 44 Calibre's long and still had a rifled nature, Rheinmetall introduced a improved version, the M68A2 105mm Smoothbore Main gun, it was 52 Calibre's in length and was installed on select units to test it's effectiveness, Data Gathered from this test would be used to develop the Improved Production M1. The M1 Abrams was way ahead of it's time in Tarakia, and presented itself as the MBT of the Future, it's true test would come 10 years later in Operation Desert Endeavor, While it used the Spaced Laminate, Aluminium 7017 High Hardness Steel and a Polymer/Carbon Fibre Filler, the M1 was still prone to hits in the Rear and Sides due to the armor not being as thick as the frontal plates were. M1-IP(Improved Production) Abrams The M1-IP was introduced as a upgrade and retrofit to the baseline M1 Abrams, the IP Model was an upgrade on the Suspension, Armor Package, Deletion of Sprocket Retainer Ring and adding a Rear Storage rack for Crew Amenities and supplies, the M1-IP was armed with the improved Rheinmetall M68A2 L52 105mm Smoothbore Main gun, the Main Differences between the M68A1 and M68A2 Main gun was the Rifling, the M68A2 was a Smoothbore Main gun with a Chrome Lined Barrel for extended Life, it also featured the improved Honeywell ATG-1200C Multifuel Turbine Engine and a increased fuel capacity, The M1-IP was capable of 45 Miles Per Hour on road and 37 Miles Per Hour Off Road, Due to the Sand in Tarakia and it's tendency to rust and erode parts, the M1-IP's featured tropicalized Road Wheels, Engine Parts, Fuel Tanks, and other important parts prone to damage or rusting. M1A1/HA(Heavy Armor) Abrams In 1990 the M1A1 Abrams was introduced, it featured a completely redesigned Armor Package featuring DU Layers and other Classified Materials, it was also Tropicalized and therefore did not need to be sent back to the factory for Tropicalization, it was armed with the Lethal Rheinmetall M256 L44 120mm Smoothbore capable of engaging a hostile tank from 2 Kilometers out and also featured 2 Plane Gyrostablization for shooting on the move and going over bumpy areas, General Dynamics also introduced the ATG-1500C Multifuel Turbine Engine, giving the M1A1 even more performance over it's earlier models, however due to the added weight from the DU Armor and M256, the Road speed was decreased down to 41.5 Miles Per Hour on Road and 32 Miles Per Hour off road. Tarakian Tank Crews belong to 1-77 Armor would get their first taste of Combat in the M1A1 Abrams, 1-77 Armor was responsible for nearly all the confirmed kills on Sal-Kari Tanks in Operation Desert Endeavor, the Abrams had proved it's combat worthy and was the most advanced tank in the Region, 3 M1A1 Abrams were lost during Operation Desert Endeavor, two Abrams were lost to Hostile Fire and the third Abrams was lost due to Friendly fire from a Marine Corps AH-1J Super Cobra, with it's remarkable performance and combat proven design, the M1A1 Abrams became the mainstay of the Tarakian Army. M1A2 Abrams In 2001 the M1A2 Abrams was introduced, Again it featured a completely new Redesigned Armor Package still containing the DU Layers and some newer classified Materials, The M1A2 was a major step for the Main Battle Tank' featuring a Commanders Independent Thermal Viewer, Land Navigation System and Improved Storage the M1A2 was a Advanced piece of technology, Primary Firepower came from the improved Rheinmetall M256A1 120mm L55 Smoothbore Main gun increasing the range of the M1A2 Abrams to 2.5 Kilometers, General Dynamics again selected the ATG-1500C Multifuel Turbine Engine to give the M1A2 power equivalent to the M1A1 Abrams, While the M1A2 was introduced, Tarakian Army M1A1 Abrams that had been put into storage were being refurbished and sent to the Marine Corps to bolster their Tank fleet and replace the aging 50+ Year old M60A3, General Dynamics then applied the Abrams Integrated Management System to Marine Corps M1A1/HC's bringing them up to par with the Army M1A2 Abrams. M1A3 Abrams In early 2010, General Dynamics introduced the M1A3 Abrams Main Battle Tank, the M1A3 was ahead of it's time and featured a revised Armor Package of 4th Gen RHA, and the Rheinmetall M256A2 120mm L66 Smoothbore Main gun, the L66 120mm was long and deemed ineffective to be used, although it increased the range of the Abrams to 3.4 Kilometers, it was too long and proved hard to maneuver with in tight Spaces, 50 M1A3 Abrams with the L66 Smoothbore were produced and are only used during Training, Rheinmetall introduced the M256A2 120mm L55 Smoothbore, a Drastic upgrade over the A2 L66, increasing the Barrel life by 600 rounds and increasing the range to 3 Kilometers, the M1A3 Introduced the Advanced Lycoming ATG-1700C, Generating 1,700 Horsepower and a speed of 42 Miles Per Hour, while that is the governed speed, removing the Govern limit will increase the speed to 56 Miles Per Hour at the expense of more fuel burned and possible damage to the engine due to over heating. the M1A3 Would go onto serve for 21 years before being replaced by the Current production model, the M1A4 Abrams which is the most Advanced Abrams tank to date in the Tarakian Army Motor Pool. M1A4 Abrams Introduced in 2031, the M1A4 became the most advanced Abrams to date in service with the Tarakian Army, the Armor configuration was vastly different from the previous series of Abrams, using a 5th Gen RHA-SEDU sandwiched with a SEDTA and Spectre Ballistic Fragmentation Liner, with a thickness of 1900 Milimeters of Armor, it it is the most Advanced Armor configuration to date and is only seeing use on the M1A4 Abrams, the M1A4 also uses the Tank Urban Survival Kit III(TUSK III), the Kit equips the Abrams with Reactive Armor Tiles on the Side Skirts and sides of the Turret, Rear Protection Slate Armor Cage over Engine Exhaust, Armored Belly to protect against Improvised Explosive Devices, M153 CROWS(Crew Remote Operated Weapon System) II, Loaders Gunner Shield for M37/240, Loaders Night Vision sight for M37/240. General Dynamics introduced the Advanced Honeywell ATG-2000C Hydrogen Hybrid Multifuel Turbine Engine, The ATG-2000C is the first Hydrogen Turbine developed by Honeywell and produces 2,000 Horsepower and gives the M1A4 a top speed of 68 Miles Per Hour, although weighing considerably more than previous Abrams models, the A4 weighs 72.1 Tons but due to the Hydrogen Turbine it is not bogged down because of the Materials used in the Development of the Hydrogen Turbine, Because it's a Hybrid Turbine, JP-8 Can still be used but the Hydrogen Fuel Cells must be removed, or otherwise the JP-8 Fuel will damage the Fuel Cells and render them useless, the M1A4 mounts the Rheinmetall M256A3 120mm L55 Smoothbore Main gun, the M256A3 is a considerable upgrade over the previous generations of the M256 Series, the A3 Model increases range to 3.6 Kilometers and barrel life by 750 Rounds. BAE Systems introduced, the SPECTRE System, A full Digital Upgrade to the System' the SPECTRE system included Enhanced Digital Gun Sights, Enhanced FLIR(Forward Looking Infrared), Brigade Combat Network System, Digital Gunner Station. The Digital Gunner Station was revolutionary, because it added the Fire Solution Computer' the FSC introduced the Abrams Advanced Fire Control Suite, the AFCS is able to feed the gunner 1,000 Solutions every few seconds for the Selected Munition, the Data is also in real time and therefore the Advanced Fire Control Suite must continue to feed Data to the gunner' the Advanced Fire Control Suite can also be operated in Passive mode where Data is manually selected for the munition and then passed onto the Commander for Approval. the SPECTRE System improved the Commanders Master "Blaster" Arm to override gunner control of the Main gun if hesitant to fire, This also allows the Commander to fully Traverse the Turret and Lay the Main gun, operating as a Secondary Gunner if the Tank Gunner isn't Present, however he can only operate the Main Gun and Heavy Coaxial Machine Gun. In the Drivers Station, the Driver has two screens, one for Information and the other a Map Screen' the M1A4 no longer has the "T" Bar Steering but has two Joysticks Controls(one on his Right, other on the Left) the right joystick is for Acceleration/Deceleration and the left joystick is for Turning/Steering, Both Computers Display data on the Hydrogen Hybrid Engine, if the Hydrogen Fuel Cells are nearing Empty or the Engine Compartment is in danger of significantly overheating, the Driver can flip a switch to cool down the engine compartment and also open the reserve Hydrogen Fuel Cells, the screens also display Electrical Power and output, The Driver can also send target data to his crew members in the fighting compartment if needed, on Select vehicles the 20mm REDBACK Point Defense Weapon is installed for Military operations in Urban Terrain. The SPECTRA Fragmentation Protection is part of the Abrams Modular Armor Package, it is a Ballistic and Fragmentation protection requirement set by MIL-51-4 and consist of the 10 Layers, starting with Kevlar/Spectra, Carbon Fibre and Polymer, it is repeated every few inches, The Crew Compartment is Kevlar Lined and also has a Boron Carbide Liner to prevent fatal radiation from entering the Vehicle. 140mm and XM91 Autoloader(C.1989) At one point the Tarakian Army was looking into a alternative smoothbore Main Gun, one capable of more destructive power and a range of 10 Kilometers, the result was the XM291 Electro Thermal Chemical smoothbore Main Gun coupled with the XM91 Autoloader, it was designed to be a direct drop in system, the XM291 was also produced in the 120mm caliber as the XM91 was also compatible with the 120mm caliber, in order to make the 140mm ETC work in the Abrams and the Autoloader it required the bustle to be lengthened and the deletion of the Loader, this was uncommon in a Western Style Main Battle Tank, General Dynamics also developed a drop in turret system featuring the autoloading system with a lengthened bustle to accommodate the larger unitary 140mm rounds, The XM91 RALS(Robotic Arm Loading System) Autoloader worked by moving on a track, drawing the 140mm round from the 18 Round Carousel Drum and sliding over to the breach and ramming the round in. Unlike Soviet Armor and their Autoloaders using a Carousel under the turret itself, the Abrams system using an Autoloader drew rounds directly from behind where the Loader sits(if the Loader was still present) while using the 140mm Unitary Rounds, the Abrams could only carry 18 ready and 18 in Reserve(36 in Total) meaning it was limited in terms of prolonged Engagements. Because the 140mm is considerably thicker than the 120mm Main Gun tube, thus the deletion of the Coaxial Machine Gun is mandatory in order to mount the gun, work on a Coax mounted above the Main Gun was in the developmental stage as early as 1984, prospective prototypes of the Coaxial mounted machine gun above the main gun were tested, while the testing went positive, Though the Tarakian Army opted to shelf the program indefinitely, the Heavy Coax wouldn't come into play nearly 2 decades later. While the Program of the 140mm and Autoloader continued with great success in 1991, General Dynamics ran into a serious problem, due to the recoil force of the 140mm Smoothbore, the Stabilization could not stay on target and would cause the main gun to be "knocked" off target potentially putting the crew into danger, the Stabilization and Recoil system were radically redesigned to account for this effect, and also ATK began work on a Unitary 140mm round that could be loaded by a human loader, these 140mm rounds used an experimental Gel propellant and also were the first 140mm projectiles to use a Combustible Cartridge Case, this was a big improvement as the whole round was sent out, and no base cap was thrown back into the crew compartment. The M889 Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot-Tracer used a Experimental Long Rod Tungsten Palladium Penetrator, With the end of the Cold War the ATAP(Advanced Tank Armament Program) was cancelled and additional funding went into the next generation of the Abrams Tanks. Replacement Army Brass have issued various MIL-DTL's to develop the successor to the M1 Series of Tanks, GDLS has accomplished this with the M5 Schwarzkopf Main Battle Tank. It is expected that all M1s through A3 will be put into storage while the M1A4 still serving until the M5 Schwarzkopf is at capacity to phase out the remaining M1A4s. Camouflage The Camouflage of the Abrams Series has always been a critical part, especially when operating in certain theaters, The Paint used is Chemical Agent Resistant Coating or CARC, CARC is a MIL-STD requirement and is resistant to any CBRN Threat and is easily washed off, Abrams Tanks come from the factory painted in Desert Tan, while replacement parts usually come in O.D. Green resulting in Mismatched parts, bringing in the name "Patchwork Abrams" due to the Mismatching of the two Colors, Additionally Each Abrams is painted in a Three Color Desert camouflage depending on the Operational Status, Any sort of Camouflage scheme can be seen, the most common being seen is the NATO 3 Color Woodland, Desert Tan, NATO O.D. Green and Tarakian Digital Desert. *Desert Tan *3 Color Tarakian Desert(Dark Brown, Light Brown, Tan) *NATO 3 Color Woodland *NATO O.D. Green *Tarakian Temperate Desert *Tarakian Temperate Woodland *Tarakian Transitional *Berlin Brigade Block *Berlin Brigade Digital *Tarakian Digital Desert Concealment While Concealment has never been a concern on the System, lately a Company had released a demonstrator of a Concealment system known as the BlackFox IR Concealment System. It is a add on system of Plates, bolted to the Armor and over every area that produces a heat signature. Due to a recent addition by Bad Wolf Corporation-Tarakia, the Newest prototype armor package allows for radio wave cancellation. Active Defense The Abrams uses the AN/VLQ-6 Missile Countermeasure System, while it can counter most Missiles and render them Inert, From M1A2 up it was equipped with the ASPRO-A Trophy Hemispheric Active Defense System to deter the threat of Rocket Propelled Grenades, the Trophy system works by launching a MEFP(Multiple Explosive Formed Penetrator) when the Rocket has breached the "Invisible" Perimeter and neutralizes the rocket before it becomes a threat, Also present on the System is the new "Trench Coat" a 360 Degree Radar that can detect and launch 17 projectiles to neutralize the threat of the RPG-29/30. Also as part of Active Defense, the Abrams uses a 18 Cell Flare Launcher mounted behind the Commanders Hatch, this 18 Cell box is small enough to be unnoticed but also small enough to not obstruct anything. Armor The Armor of the Abrams is a highly Classified blend, but some parts have been declassified, recent developments in the Abrams Armor package have resulted in a more stronger Hybrid Blend. Armament From the XM1 up to the M1A4, the Abrams has gone through many Main Guns, some merely improvements, others entirely brand new platforms. The Primary Armament of the Abrams from the M1A1 to current models has been the Rheinmetall M256 Series, offering a kill ratio like none other, While the M256 Series may seem outdated even in it's 4th Generation, no Replacement has been selected or even considered because if it ain't broken, why replace it. Primary Armament *'General Dynamics Land Systems M3 90mm High Velocity Main Gun' Prototype Armament of the XM1-90, Was dropped from the Program *'Royal Ordinance L7 105mm Rifled Main Gun' XM1-105 Prototype Armament, developed into the M68 *'Rheinmetall M68A1 105mm L44 Rifled Main Gun' Borrowed over from the M60A3 Patton, the 105mm Main Gun at it's time was the most lethal on a Tarakian Tank, even being able to defeat Soviet Armor of the 50's and mid 60's *'Rheinmetall M68A2 105mm L52 Smoothbore Main Gun' A entirely new 105mm Main Gun, using a smoothbore instead of rifling, the M68A2 became the pinnacle in Tank gun technology, achieving an even more lethal hit/kill on Soviet Armor, it was used until replaced by the M256. *'Rheinmetall M256 120mm L44 Smoothbore Main Gun' Adopted as the new Main Armament of the M1A1 Abrams, due to the increasing threat of Soviet Armor Technology, Sending a Sabot out at 2 Kilometers and achieving a kill was something not seen on the previous generation of MBT's *'Rheinmetall M256A1 120mm L55 Smoothbore Main Gun' A lengthened 120mm borrowed over from the Leopard 2A6, the L55 Smoothbore increased the life of the Barrel and also the effective combat range. *'Rheinmetall M256A2 120mm L55/66 Smoothbore Main Gun' Improved version of the M256A1, the M256A2 Smoothbore was a step in a direction not previously seen, the M256A2 Increased the Combat Range by a Kilometer and also increasing the Barrel Life. *'Rheinmetall M256A3 120mm L55 Smoothbore Main Gun' A Complete Redesign of the M256A2, the M256A3 is the most Advanced Main Gun on the Abrams Platform, arming the M1A4, it increased the effective Combat Range to 3.6 Kilometers and with a possible upgrade to 4 Kilometers, Barrel life was also increased. *'BAE Systems XM360 120mm Lightweight Smoothbore Main Gun' An Experimental Lightweight Smoothbore designed by BAE Systems to replace the M256 Series, the BAE Systems XM360 is vastly different in appearance and length. Secondary Armament *'FNH M240C Coax' Primary Coax Arming the M1 Series, using a Linkless Feed with a maximum effective range of 750 meters *'FNH M240D' Loaders Machine Gun, replaced the M60 on the M1 Abrams. *'General Dynamics M37' Replacing the Loaders Machine Gun, the M37 is a modernized 7.62mm Version of the .30cal M1919 Machine Gun. *'General Dynamics M312' Briefly used, replaced the M2HB until the M2HB Replaced it only after a Year. *'FNH M2HB Heavy Machine Gun' Standard 12.7mm Anti-Infantry/Aircraft Machine Gun on the Abrams, Mounted on the M153 CROWS II. *'FNH M2E2 Heavy Coax' Part of the T.U.S.K Program, the M2E2 Heavy Coax sits above the Main Gun and controlled by the Gunner. or Commander with the Spectre System. *'General Electric M134 Vulcan Minigun' Briefly Used, Mainly on Abrams Command Variant, still seen but not as much. *'General Electric M/GAU-19B Heavy Minigun' Currently used on the M1A4 as the Commanders Heavy Minigun, the GAU-19B is not used with the CROWS II due to it's size, if the CROWS is being used the M2HB is selected. Crew Armament *'Kimber M2016A1 Desert Warrior Tactical' *'Heckler & Koch MP7A1' *'Gerber LMF III ACTF(Armor Crewmen Tactical Knife)' *'AT-8CS(Carried in Bustle Rack)' If bailout is required due to damaged vehicle or crew is in threat of getting overran in a urban environment, Each Crewmember carries a Desert Warrior, MP7A1 and Combat Knife to protect themselves. Ammunition In order to defeat hostile armor and counter specific threats, a wide array of Ammunition was developed for the Abrams, from regular Sabots to prototype rounds, Each 120x810mm round features a single piece 12.5kg(27lb) nitrocellulose and cellulose fiber Combustible Cartridge Case(CCC),lightweight graphite fiber/polymer matrix composite case base, 8.2kg(18lb),24mm diameter heat tempered Tungsten-Cobalt Heavy Alloy(WHA) Long Rod Penetrator. HEAT Rounds use the same CCC but do not contain the Long Rods, Beehive Canisters are also CCC. Specific Types 105mm *M883 Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot-Tracer *M900 Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot-Tracer(Improved) *M456A2 High Explosive Anti-Tank *M1040 "Beehive" Anti-Personal Canister 120mm *M829 Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot-Tracer(DU Penetrator) *M829A1 Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot-Tracer(Known as Silver Bullet) *M829A2 Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot-Tracer(Tungsten Penetrator) *M829A3 Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot-Tracer(Tungsten Penetrator) *M829E4 Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot-Tracer(Tungsten Penetrator) *M829E5 Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot-Tracer(Being Developed) *M830 High Explosive Anti-Tank *M830A1 High Explosive Anti-Tank Multipurpose-Tracer *M908 High Explosive Obstacle Reducing Tracer/Multipurpose Anti-Tank Obstacle Reducing-Tracer *M908A1 High Explosive Obstacle Reducing Tracer/Multipurpose Anti-Tank Obstacle Reducing-Tracer *M910 High Explosive Squash Head(Guardian MGS) *M911E1 High Explosive(Guardian MGS) *M1028 "Beehive" Anti-Personal Canister *M1028E1 "HornetHive" Anti-Personal Canister *M934 Smart, Target Activated, Fire and Forget *M999(DM11) High Explosive-Fragmentation *XMxxxx Advanced Multipurpose *XM1007 TERM PrimeX *XM1009 XROD-KE *XM1009 XROD-CE *XM1012 Sense/Search and Destroy Armor Airburst *XM1013 High Explosive Thermobaric Warhead *XM1015 Virtual Cathode Oscillator 140mm *M889 Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot-Tracer *M889A1 Armor Piercing Fin Stabilized Discarding Sabot-Tracer *M890 High Explosive Anti-Tank 35mm(for Abrams Air Defense System) *M330 High Explosive Incendiary-Tracer *M330A1 High Explosive Incendiary *M543 Semi-Armor Piercing High Explosive Incendiary-Tracer *M558 Frangible Armor Piercing Discarding Sabot *M1043 AHEAD Anti-Missile Round *M1018 Cased Telescopic Frangible Training Penetrators and HEAT rounds are also designed to familiarize Abrams Tank Crews. 120mm Training Rounds *M895 Target Practice Cone Stabilized Discarding Sabot Kinetic Energy Trainer *M83A1 High Explosive Anti-Tank Trainer *M1002 Multi-Purpose Anti-Tank Target Practice Mobility Tactical Mobility The Abrams is powered by the Honeywell/Lycoming AGT Series of Turbines, these Turbines offer outstanding tactical mobility in the field and also give the Abrams series varying speeds, while most Governed speeds are 41.5 Miles Per Hours, removing the Govern will increase the speeds greatly at the expense of more burned fuel and possible engine damage, therefore the recommended ungoverned speed is 50 Miles Per hour. As part of the Mobility each Abrams is equipped with an Under Armor Auxiliary Power Unit. Strategic Mobility The Abrams has always been criticized for it's strategic mobility, because of it's weight. While the Abrams can be moved by a C-5 Galaxy, the C-5 can only move one Abrams(during peacetime) and two(during wartime), also the C-17B Globemaster III can move one Abrams at a time and strategic mobility is severally cut. Because of this the Tarakian Army makes uses of alternative Methods, depending on severity of the current conflict most Abrams are transported by the M1070 Heavy Equipment Transport using the M1000 Trailer, Armored Military Trains or transported by Tarakian Navy Transport Ships. Organization Platoon Level *Four to Six Abrams Tanks *Six M984A4 H.E.M.T.T. Ammunition Resupply Trucks *Six M978A2 H.E.M.T.T. Hydrogen/JP-8 Fuel Resupply Trucks *Four M104 Wolverine/Savage Heavy Armored Vehicle Launch Bridge *Six M1 Velicoraptor Heavy Armored Recovery Vehicles *Five M1A1 Grizzly Combat Engineering Vehicles Company Level *Twelve to Fourteen Abrams Tanks *Ten M984A4 H.E.M.T.T. Ammunition Resupply Trucks *Nine M978A2 H.E.M.T.T. Hydrogen/JP-8 Fuel Resupply Trucks *Seven M104 Wolverine/Savage Heavy Armored Vehicle Launch Bridge *Six M1 Velicoraptor Heavy Armored Recovery Vehicles *Six M1A1 Grizzly Combat Engineering Vehicles Battalion Level *Sixteen to Twenty-one Abrams Tanks *Fourteen M984A4 H.E.M.T.T. Ammunition Resupply Trucks *Twelve M978A2 H.E.M.T.T. Hydrogen/JP-8 Fuel Resupply Trucks *Ten M900A3 M.T.5.T.T. Logistic Trucks *Ten M104 Wolverine/Savage Heavy Armored Vehicle Launch Bridge *Ten M1 Velicoraptor Heavy Armored Recovery Vehicles *Nine M1A1 Grizzly Combat Engineering Vehicles Regiment Level *Twenty-four to Thirty Abrams Tanks *Eighteen M984A4 H.E.M.T.T. Ammunition Resupply Trucks *Twelve M978A2 H.E.M.T.T. Hydrogen/JP-8 Fuel Resupply Trucks *Twelve M900A3 M.T.5.T.T. Logistic Trucks *Eleven M104 Wolverine/Savage Heavy Armored Vehicle Launch Bridge *Eleven M1 Velicoraptor Heavy Armored Recovery Vehicles *Ten M1A1 Grizzly Combat Engineering Vehicles Variants and Upgrades *'XM1': Experimental Model. Six test beds developed, Three with M3 90mm HVC and Three with M68 105mm. *'M1': First Production Model. Redesigned Turret and New Armor Package, Armed with M68 105mm. *'M1-IP': Improved Production Model. Turret Bustle Rack added, Sprocket Retainer Ring Deleted, New Armor Package. *'M1A1/HA': Second Production Model. New DU Armor Package, Retrofitted with M256 120mm Smoothbore, Pressurized NBC System. *'M1A1/HC': Marine Corps Model. Basic Marine Corps Model with DU Layers in Armor, Snorkel for amphibious operations. *'M1A1-FEP': Further Upgrades of Marine Corps M1A1. *'M1A1-D': Digital Upgrade Model. Brings M1A1/HA/HC up to Digital Standard. *'M1A1-AIM': Marine Corps Upgrade. Brings Marine Corps M1A1 Abrams up to M1A2 Standard, Fitted with FLIR and C.I.T.V. *'M1A2': Third Production Model. Land Navigation System, New C.I.T.V and Armor Package. *'M1A2-C': Command Model. Equipped with Improved Communication Equipment and redesigned Communication Systems, Same as the Basic M1A2 Abrams but with Command Suite *'M1A2-SEP': Army Upgrade. Improved Road Speed, Increased Combat Weight, Improved DU Armor protection utilizing Tungsten and Graphite. *'M1A3': Fourth Production Model. New ATG-1700C Turbine, Redesigned 4th Gen DU Armor Package. *'M1A4': Fifth Production Model. New ATG-2000C Hydrogen Hybrid Turbine, New 5th Generation RHA-SEDU/SEDTA/SFP, Tank Urban Survival Kit III, Abrams Integrated Management, System Enhancement Package, Spectre System. *'M1A4-R': Revised Model. Incorporating the BAE Systems XM360 Lightweight 120mm Smoothbore and Honeywell LV-100-3D Hydrogen Turbine. *'M1A4-C': Command Model. Equipped with the Abrams Awareness Package, carrying two RQ-13 Switchblade Hunter/Killer UAV's and One RQ-11 Raven Portable UAV in the Bustle Rack, Same as the Standard M1A4. *'M1A4-TTB': Tank Test Bed for New Armor Package. M1A4 designed to test a new Armor package. *'M1A4-140': Prototype Abrams mounting 140mm Main Gun. A Prototype Abrams mounting the Experimental XM451 140mm Main Gun *'M1A4-PIP': Product Improvement Package. Basic M1A4 with emphasis on reducing weight between 58 and 60 tons, using either State-of-The-Art Fiber Optic Cables or Bio-circuitry to also reduce weight, Replace current M256A3 with either M256A3LW or XM360, Introduce Improved Suspension, Introduce new lightweight ATG-2000C Hydrogen Turbine with IUAAPU(Improved Under Armor Auxiliary Power Unit). *'M104 Savage': Heavy Armored Vehicle Launch Bridge. Based on the M1A1 and M1A2 SEP Chassis, Carries either a MLC 60 Leguan Bridge or a MLC 80 Leguan Bridge. *'M1 Velicoraptor': Heavy Armored Recovery Vehicle. Based on the M1 Abrams Chassis, equipped with Crane and tow winch. *'M1A1 Grizzly': Combat Engineering Vehicle. Based on the M1A1 Chassis, equipped with Dozer Blade and Excavation boom for engineering and/or other task. *'M1A1 Panther I/II': Mine Clearing Vehicle. Unmanned M1A1 Chassis used to clear mines, uses Unmanned technology' Controlled either by a Tank Commander or Platoon Tank Commander who is behind the Panther on his Tank. *'M1A1 Voltage': Assault Breacher Vehicle. Based on the M1A1 Chassis, Designed by the Marine Corps, features two line charge launchers and one large dozer blade with Clamps. *'M1A1-AADS': Air Defense Production Variant. The Production Variant of the XM1A1-AADS, it remains little changed from its experimental state, but is equipped with the AN/MPQ-68 Artemis II X-Band Radar. *'M1A2-AADS': Planned Air Defense Uprade. The Planned upgrade to the Abrams Air Defense, it will use the M1A2 SEP Chassis and will also use the MIL-STD-1773 Data Bus. Experimental Variants *'M1A1-140': Prototype Abrams with 140mm. Prototype M1A1 Abrams with Modified turret, Autoloader and 140mm ETC smoothbore, Modified M1A1 Chassis and suspension to accommodate for increased weight, Never entered production. *'XM1A1-AADS': Prototype Abrams Air Defense System. Modified Turret on a M1A1 Chassis with Twin Oerlikon GDF-007 KDA Autocannons, six cell stinger missile system able to retract into turret, SkyRyder X-band Radar and Improved Suspension to cope with additional weight added by specific electronics. *'M1A1-CEV': Combat Engineer Vehicle. Designed to replace the M60A1 derived M728, eventually cancelled and led to the development of the M1A1 Grizzly Export Variants *'M1A1SA Abrams': Sal-Kari Army model. very few acquired due to cost' No plans to acquire more, the Sal-Kari Army operates 15 M1A1s without DU Layers as a precaution in case they fall into the wrong hands, these 15 Abrams are to supplement the Sal-Kari Army Shortage of Challenger Mk III Tanks, also on Lend-Lease are 10 Tarakian Army M1A1HA's and 5 Tarakian Marine Corps M1A1HC's for training. Specifications on Variants Known Abrams Tanks M1A1 *Slammer, A-21 *Crusher, C-22 M1A2 *Prime Evil, E-26 *Grey Wolf, E-52 Quotes Category:Tarakia